Australia’s premier shale basin: five plays, 1 000 000 000 years in the making
Alexander Côté A B , Brenton Richards A B , Carl Altmann A B , Elizabeth Baruch A B and David Close A BA Origin Energy, Level 3, 135 Coronation Drive, Milton, Qld 4064, Australia.
B Corresponding authors. Email: alexander.cote@originenergy.com.au; brenton.richards@originenergy.com.au; carl.altmann@originenergy.com.au; elizabeth.baruch-jurado@originenergy.com.au; david.close@originenergy.com.au
The APPEA Journal 58(2) 799-804 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ17040
Accepted: 13 March 2018 Published: 28 May 2018
Abstract
The successful fracture stimulation and production test of the Amungee NW-1H well placed the Velkerri Shale play and the Beetaloo Sub-basin on Australia’s energy radar. The Velkerri Shale dry gas play is currently Australia’s most promising shale gas prospect; however, it is not the only prospect in the Beetaloo Sub-basin. Four additional potential plays have been identified, each with their own specific risk profile and relative benefits. These are the Velkerri Shale liquids rich gas play, the Kyalla Shale and hybrid liquids rich gas plays, and the Hayfield Sandstone oil/condensate play. Appraising each of these opportunities requires special attention to ensure efficient and appropriate deployment of capital. A framework approach allows for the high-level assessment and comparison of each of the discussed opportunities within the Beetaloo Sub-basin portfolio.
Keywords: Beetaloo, exploration, Hayfield, hydraulic fracture stimulation, Kyalla, liquids, Northern Territory, shale gas, unconventional, Velkerri.
Alexander Côté is the Engineering Subsurface Lead for Growth Assets for Origin Energy in Brisbane, Australia. He is a CFA Charterholder, a Professional Engineer (P.Eng) registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, and he holds a B.A.Sc. with Distinction in Mechanical Engineering from Western University (Canada). Alexander has 10 years of shale and tight gas experience, having worked across many premier unconventional plays in North America and Australia including the Montney, Deep Basin, Marcellus, Eagle Ford, Beetaloo and Cooper during this time. He has developed expertise in unconventional resource exploration, evaluation, and development. Alexander is a member of SPE. |
Brenton Richards is a Senior Geologist with Origin Energy in Brisbane, Australia. He has worked for numerous Australian operators on a range of conventional and unconventional oil and gas exploration, appraisal and development projects across Australia and New Zealand. Brenton received his B.A.Sc. with Distinction in Geoscience from the Queensland University of Technology and is currently completing his M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering with Heriot-Watt University. |
Carl Altmann is currently an Exploration Geologist for Origin Energy in Brisbane, Australia. He received his B.Sc. degree in Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Geoscience from Adelaide University and his Honours degree in Petroleum Geoscience from the Australian School of Petroleum. |
Elizabeth Baruch is an Exploration Geologist for Origin Energy in Brisbane, Australia. She received her B.Sc. degree in Geophysical Engineering from Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela), M.Sc. in Geology from the University of Oklahoma and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Physical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. Elizabeth worked for ConocoPhillips Co. in Houston before joining Origin. Elizabeth has worked in unconventional exploration roles with expertise in shale gas, shale diagenesis and sedimentology. |
Dr David Close is currently the Unconventional Exploration Manager for Origin Energy in Brisbane, Australia. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a B.Sc. from the University of Tasmania. David worked in Mexico, U.S.A and Canada for Schlumberger and Apache Canada before joining Origin. David has worked in a range of conventional and unconventional exploration roles and has developed expertise in unconventional resource exploration and evaluation, and quantitative seismic interpretation. David is a member of PESA, ASEG, SEG and AAPG. |
References
Altmann, C., Baruch, E., Close, D., Faiz, M., Richards, B., and Cote, A. (2018). Could the Mesoproterozoic Kyalla Formation emerge as a viable gas condensate source rock reservoir play in the Beetaloo Sub-basin? In ‘Australasian Exploration Geoscience Conference, Sydney, New South Wales, 18-21 February 2018’.Baruch, E., Altmann, C., Close, D., Faiz, M., Richards, B., and Cote, A. (2018). The Kyalla Formation prospectivity from a mineralogical and sedimentological perspective. In ‘Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 20–21 March 2018’.
Close, D., Cote, A., Baruch, E., Altmann, C., Mohinudeen, F., Richards, B., Ilett, R., Evans, R., and Stonier, S. (2017). Exploring the Beetaloo: will Australia’s first viable shale play be sourced by billion year old gas? The APPEA Journal 57, 716–721.
| Exploring the Beetaloo: will Australia’s first viable shale play be sourced by billion year old gas?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
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